The firm, which went public in April 2014, employs approximately
700 people worldwide. It is led by founder and namesake Kenneth
Moelis, who rose to fame in the early 1980s, working at Drexel
Burnam Lambert. After a successful career at Donald Lufkin &
Jenrette Securities (DLJ), Moelis was lured to UBS in 2000. He
recruited several DLJ bankers to join him and promptly turned UBS
Investment Bank into a global powerhouse. In 2007, he resigned from
UBS and formed his eponymous firm. To fill the ranks at Moelis
& Company, Moelis turned to his old DLJ and Drexel Lambert
friends. He also persuaded several top UBS executives and other
senior industry bankers to join him. Right off the bat, Moelis
& Company landed big-league assignments that belied its
boutique size. One day after opening its doors, Moelis advised
Hilton Hotels on its $26.5 billion sale to The Blackstone Group.
Soon after, it helped defend Yahoo! from Microsoft's $44.6 billion
hostile takeover bid and advised Anheuser-Busch on its $61.2
billion sale to InBev.

In 2010, the firm was named Best Global Independent Investment
Bank by Euromoney, and Ken Moelis was named Banker of the Year by
Investment Dealers' Digest, which pointed out Moelis &
Company's ability to land high-profile clients such as Advent
International, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Dubai World. IDD also
handed Moelis the award in 2011, noting Moelis & Company's
significant growth in Europe and Asia, and saying the firm is
"showing no signs of slowing down."

In July 2014, Euromoney named Ken Moelis "Banker of the
Year." Moelis & Company has also been named the "Most
Innovative Independent Investment Bank" by The Banker
magazine four times in the past five years, most recently in
2015. The magazine commended the firm for its role in many of the
year's most complex transactions, including advising Heineken on
its $1.2 billion sale of its Mexican packaging business Empaque to
Crown Holdings, and advising marine terminal operator DP World on
its $3.5 billion acquisition of Economic Zones World. In 2016,
Euromoney named Moelis & Company the "Best Investment
Bank in the UAE."